Fish stringer



G. A. DAMON FISH STRINGEIR Aug. 7, 1951 Filed Oct. 30, 1948 T N W o v M 3 A yY O D a E T N NA K R 0 VM T ND T R A 0 G5 Y B m Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FISH STRINGER Gordon A. Damon, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application October 30, 1948, Serial No. 57,477

6 Claims.

My invention relates to fish stringers and has for an object to provide a stringer bymeans of which the fish may be easily secured and place in the water.

An object of the invention resides in providing a fish stringer by means of which the fish may be secured in place without lifting the fish previously caught out of the water. 7

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a fish stringer adapted to be secured to the gunwale of a boat.

Another object of the invention resides in pro secured, said fasteners being normally stored upon the leg of said guide secured to the mountmg. Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereafter illustrated and/ or described.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a boat illustrating an embodiment of, my inven-..

tion applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a portion of th mounting and clamp of the invention.

In the handling of fish during fishing operations considerable inconvenience is encountered where the fish are strung on a single line. When a new fish is to be added to the string, either the line has to be detached from the boat with the danger of losing the fish, or the entire stringhas to be raised out of the water to permit adding the new fish to the fasteners secured to the line. The present invention provides a construction whereby the fasteners are conveniently maintained for ready access to the user, and by means ofwhich the fish may be secured to the fasteners and then merely thrown overbo'ardl' For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the drawings a portion of the hull of a boat Iii. This boat comprises frames or ribs II, and to which is attached theusual planking 12. At the upper edge ofthe planking is-formed a gunwale l3, which consists of moldings H and 15 extending along the sheer of the boat and attached to the planking l2 and frames H.

The invention proper consists of a mounting- [6 which in the form of the invention disclosed is in the nature of a C-clamp. This clamp. com-- prises spaced jaws l1 and 18 with a bar l9 con-= The clamps iii, if desired, may be constructed from a single strip: of material bent into the form shown. The jaw necting said jaws together.

I! isthreaded as indicated at 2! to receive a screw 22. Screw 22 has a wing head 23 by means of whichthe same may be rotated. The inner end of said screw has a pressure plate 24 swivelly attached to it, and which is adapted to engage the molding M to hold the clamp attached to thegunwale l3 when the mounting I6 is applied to the same.

The invention further includes a guide 25 which is preferably constructed of wire bent in the form of an inverted U. This guide has two vertical legs 26 and 21 with a connecting portion 28 therebetween. The leg 28 hasa flattened portion 29 at the lower end of the same, which over lies the upper end of the jaw I! of clamp l6, and which is secured thereto by means of rivets 3| or in any other suitable manner. The leg 26 is somewhat curved'asillustrated in-Fig. 1, and likewise the connecting portion28 so that no abruptbends or angles are formed in the said guide.

The lower end of the leg 21 of guide 25 has at- This tether is in the tached to it a tether 32. nature of a cable and is preferably formed of flexible wire rope. The upper end of said tetheris inserted in a 'hole 39 drilled in-the end of the leg 21 and soldered or brazed thereto. The tether 32 is of a length suflicient to reach well into'the' water when the stringer is attached to the gunwale of the ordinary boat. The lower end of the tether 32 has secured to it a stop 33. This stop may be in the form of a ball and may be constructed of readily fusible metal which may be cast on the end of the tether. If desired, however, the said stop may be of any other shape and may be pre-formed and secured to the tether by soldering, brazing or in any other manner.

In conjunction with the invention, I utilize a number of fasteners 34a, 34b, 34d, 34c, etc., which are identical in construction. Only the fasteners 34a will be described in detail. This fastener isin the nature of a safety pin, and is constructed from wire, being constructed with a shank 35* formed with an offset 3B.- A metal clip 31 constructed of sheet metal is bent about and se cur'edto the'shank 35 at theofiset- 36 The shank 35 is formed with a bend 38 and which terminates in a pin 39, preferably sharpened at the end. The wire from which the fastener is constructed is resilient, so that the pin 39 may be sprung toward the shank 35 to be received in a keeper 4! formed on the clip 3'1. The shank 35 extends outwardly beyond the clip 31 and is constructed at its end with an eye 42 through which the tether 32 and the guide 21 may extend.

In the'luse of, the invention the clamp 1'6 is applied to thegunwale l3of the boat, and the screw 22 tightened down to hold the same in position. All of the fasteners, 34a, etc., are threaded back along the guide 28 until they are received on. theleg 25 of said guide. Fasteners 34b, 34c, and 34d are all shown in Figure 1 in position on said leg. When a fish is to be strung; the. uppermost; fastener is utilized and the pin thereof disengaged from its keeper. The pin is then inserted through the proper part of the mouth of the fish and closed, and reinserted into the keeper. The: fish and fastener may. then be merely tossed overboard. During such movement the eye 42. follows along the curved portion of the leg 26 of guide 25, the connecting portion 28 thereof and downwardly along the. leg. 2.! and tether 32. The first fastener. then. finds. the position illustrated. for fastener 34a in Fig. 1., its movement being terminated, by the. stop 33'. When another fish is, to be strung, the uppermost fastener which, with. parts positioned as illustrated in Fig. 1, would be fastener 34b... is used in the same manner and the fish and fastener-againtossed overboard.

While I have shown. av limited. number of fasteners used in conjunction with the stringer, it can readily be comprehended that any number of; fasteners: may be, employed. Also where a.

certain type of fastener has been illustrated, it. can be comprehended that other types of fasteners adapted to follow along the guide. and tether of the invention may be used.

The" advantages ofrthe. invention are. manifest. The device is extremely simple in construction and can be-constructed' at a nominal expense. The fish are individually attached to the stringer, and the weightof the .fishstrung is not applied to the first fish on the stringer. The fish can be strung'without detaching the stringer from the boat, or without raising the string of fish out of Water. The use of the invention is simple and rapid, and the fish are positively secured to the tether. employed the fisherman can always tell how many fish he has strung without counting the fish, this being accomplished by merely. counting the remaining fasteners contained upon the guide of. the stringer.

Changes in the specific form of. my invention,

as herein described; may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the. spirit, of my invention.

. Having described my invention, whatIclaim as.

new and. desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

i 1. In a fish stringer, a mounting for attachspaced from said mounting, a tether issuing'from.

the end of said second. leg, a stop on the end of said tether and. a. plurality of. fasteners slidable.

along said guide anditether. and normally p051.- tioned upon. .the first namedleg .of .said guide.

- 2. In .a. fish. stringer,. .a mounting. for attach-- Where a given number of fasteners are.

ment to a boat, a guide of inverted U-shape having two substantially vertical legs and a connecting portion therebetween, one of said legs being attached to said mounting and extending upwardly therefrom, the other of said legs being spaced from said mounting, said first named leg and said connecting portion forming a continuous faired curve, a tether issuing from the end of said second leg, a stop on the end of said tether and; a plurality of fasteners slidable. along said guide and tether and normally positioned upon the first named leg of said guide.

3. In a fish stringer, a mounting for attachment to the upper portion of the hull of a boat,

ment toa boat, a pluralityof fasteners, a guide attached to said mounting and on which the fasteners are slidably supported, said guide havinga portion on which the fasteners may be normally supported when in disuse and another portion extending outwardly therefrom, a tether attached to said last named portion of the guide and a stop on the'end of the tether, said fasteners being. movable from said first named portion and along said second named portion and tether.

5. A fish holder comprising an inverted U shaped clamp adapted to be mounted upon the gunwale of a boat, a member secured to the inside leg of said clamp at one end, the free end of said member being adapted to be suspended in the water outside of said boat, stop means on the free end of said member, and a plurality of fish fasteners slidably mounted on said member whereby said fasteners may be selectively disposed on saidmember in an inoperative position within said boat or. moved toward the other end of said member to be retained thereon by said stop means.

6. A fish holder comprising clamp means. adapted" to be secured to a boat with a portion thereof disposed upon the interior of the boat adjacent the gunwale and below the upper edge of the gunwale; an elongated member secured at one. end to said portion of the clamp means and extending partially upwardly along the gunwale and across the. same, the free end of said member being adapted to be suspended in the water outside the boat, stop means on the freeend of said member, and a plurality of fish fasteners slidably mounted on said member whereby said fasteners may be selectively disposed on said member in an inoperative position within said boat or moved toward the other end of said member to be retained thereon by said stop means.

GORDON A. DAMON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 849,410 Mills -Apr. 9, 1907" 2,226,402 Hirschmann. Dec..24, 1940 

